Pencil sharpener

ABSTRACT

A pencil sharpener comprising a blade, a feed member for feeding a pencil to said blade and withdrawing a sharpened pencil from said blade in association with the pencil sharpening operation, a holder provided in said feed member for holding a pencil in association with the operation of said feed member, a guide member operated in association with the pencil sharpening operation for guiding a pencil to the pencil holding position of said holder, and supply means for successively supplying one pencil at a time to said guide member in association with the pencil sharpening operation. The pencil sharpener is characterized in that one pencil after another can be successively sharpened.

Kuramochi 1 1 Jan. 23, 1973 1 1 PENCIL SHARPENER [76] Inventor: Shigeaki Kuramochi, No. 24-17 5- UNITED STATES PATENTS Lou ..144/28.5 Ogawa ..l44/28.6

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 499,499 6/1930 Germany ..144/28.6

Germany ..144/28.6 Germany ..144/28.6

Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant ExaminerJames F. Coan Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher 57 ABSTRACT A pencil sharpener comprising a blade, a feed member for feeding a pencil to said blade and withdrawing a sharpened pencil from said blade in association with the pencil sharpening operation, a holder provided in said feed member for holding a pencil in association with the operation of said feed member, a guide member operated in association with the pencil sharpening operation for guiding a pencil to the pencil holding position of said holder, and supply means for successively supplying one pencil at a time to said guide member in association with the pencil sharpening operation. The pencil sharpener is characterized in that one pencil after another can be successively sharpened.

3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAH23 I975 SHEET 1 OF 6 v mmm lfln lHHHHHHHHHHHHHHI I I HHHHMMM IL mm H Iv mm f/d/m/mzw/ I NVE N TOR I ATTORNEYS PATENTEDmzs 197s SHEET 2 [1F 6 Fig. 2

PATENTEU JAN 2 3 ma SHEET l BF 6 FIG. 5

PENCIL SHARPENER This invention relates to pencil sharpeners, and more particularly the invention is concerned with a pencil sharpener of the type which permits automatically to sharpen successively one pencil after another. Pencil sharpeners of the prior art are adapted to manually insert one pencil at a time into a sharpening blade section and withdraw the same when it is sharpened and then insert another pencil to repeat the same operation. Therefore, when it is required to sharpen a number of pencils at once, the conventional pencil sharpeners are low in efficiency because each pencil must be handled manually and the operation is therefore time consummg.

Accordingly, a principal object of this invention is to provide a pencil sharpener which permits automatically to sharpen one pencil after another successively so that a number of pencils can be sharpened in a short interval of time without any trouble.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pencil sharpener which permits automatically to feed one pencil after another from a supply of pencils to a blade section and then discharge sharpened pencils in association with a pencil sharpening operation, whereby a large number of pencils can be sharpened efficiently.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pencil sharpener of the type described which is provided with a guide member for supplying one pencil after another to a blade section from a supply of pencils, such guide member being adapted both to tilt about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis thereof and to move in pivotal motion about the longitudinal axis thereof to guide a pencil to a blade section, so that sharpened pencils can be smoothly supplied to and discharged from the blade section without the sharpened lead of the pencil being subjected to an impact and broken.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pencil sharpener of the type described which is provided with means for discarding a pencil which is too short to warrant sharpening without feeding the same to the blade section, and means for automatically shutting off the machine when the supply of pencils has run out.

Additional objects as well as features and advantages of the invention will become evident from the description set forth hereinafter when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of one em bodiment of the pencil sharpener according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional rear end view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the shut-off mechanism shown in operative state;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the short pencil discarding mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pencil holding mechanism;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the mechanism associated with the cam l 1; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the mechanism associated with the cam 12.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, the pencil sharpener of this invention comprises a casing 1 which mounts on one side thereof an electric motor 2 which drives a rotary shaft 3 mounting at one end thereof a gear 4. A gear 5 maintained in meshing engagement with the gear 4 is carried by a hollow rotary shaft 6 rotatably mounted to the casing l. The shaft 6 also carries a gear 7 which is maintained in meshing engagement with a gear 8 carried by a rotary shaft 9 rotatably mounted to the casing 1. The shaft 9 also carries a worm (not shown) which is maintained in meshing engagement with a worm gear mounted on a rotary shaft 10 rotatably mounted to the casing l and extending across the width thereof. Cams 11 and 12 are secured to opposite ends of the shaft 10 respectively. The cam 11 is a segmental cam which is formed with a cam edge 13 in its periphery. An engaging edge 14 adapted to engage the cam edge 13 is formed in an operation plate 15 which is supported for rotation at its lower end by a shaft 16 rotatably mounted to the casing 1. A connection member 17 is pivotally connected at one end thereof to the upper end portion of the operation plate 15 which is formed at the rear edge thereof with a recess 18 for preventing the operation plate 15 from coming into contact with the rotary shaft 10 when the former moves in rotary motion. The connection member 17 is pivotally connected at the other end thereof to a feed member 20 adapted to slide along a guide rail 19. The feed member 20 is formed with a guide groove 21 for inserting the rotary shaft 10 therein. Mounted between the feed member 20 and the rail 19 is a coiled spring 22 which urges by its biasing force the feed member 20 to move toward a blade 23 operative in association with the electric motor 2. Provided in the front of the feed member 20 is a pencil holder 24 which'consists of two holding members 24a and 24b as shown in FIG. 2. Arcuate pencil holding edges are formed in the lower ends of the adjacent surfaces of the holding members 24a and 24b, and the holding members 24a and 24b are connected by a shaft to the front surface of the feed member 20 for opening and closing motion. A substantially arcuate resilient member 65 are connected at opposite ends thereof to opposite sides of the holding members 24a and 24b so as to urge the two members 24a and 24b to move in a direction in which they hold a pencil therebetween. Formed between the adjacent surfaces of the holding members 240 and 24b is a concaved portion 66 for receiving therein a sharp edged conical opener 25 mounted on the forward end of the rail 19 and facing the direction in which the feed member 20 moves. If the conical opener 25 is introduced into the concaved portion, the two members 24a and 24b will be moved apart from each other.

A pencil feed guide member 26 is supported by a pivotal support member 28 through a pin 27 for pivotal movements about the longitudinal axis thereof. The pivotal support member 28 is supported by the casing 1 through a shaft 29 for pivotal movements about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis thereof. Mounted between a projection 30 on the underside of the support member 28 and the casing 1 is a coiled spring 31 which urges by its biasing force the support member 28 to be disposed on a horizontal plane so that its forward end may be disposed in a position corresponding to the position of the holding member 24.

The guide member 26 is substantially U-shaped in cross-section so as to positively support a pencil therein. The member 26 is formed on opposite sides thereof with holding projections, 32, 32 except for the portion of the member 26 which is disposed on the side of the blade 23 where a cutout portion 26a is formed.

A lever 33 engaging the cam 12 at one end thereof is pivotally supported by the shaft 16 supporting the operation plate 15. The lever 33 is connected to the projection 30 of the support member 28 through a connecting rod 34. The lever 33 is maintained in engagement with the cam 12 by the biasing force of the spring 31.

Formed on one side of the support member 28 in the casing 1 is a guide wall 35 which is inclined both transversely and longitudinally so that the guide wall 35 may be disposed substantially parallel to the upper surface of the support member 28 when the latter tilts in operation. Formed in the top wall of the casing l in a position corresponding to the upper side of the guide wall 35 is an inlet opening 36. A feed actuation member 37 is pivotally mounted on the upper side of the inlet opening 36. Formed on the upper surface of the actuation member 37 is an arcuate groove 38 for holding a pencil therein. A rib 39 is formed in the actuation member 37 in a position opposite to the position of the groove 38, so that the groove 38 is disposed on the side opposite to the inlet opening 36 by the engagement of the rib 39 with an inclined plate 44 extending inwardly from a side wall of the casing l. The actuation member 37 mounts at one end thereof a support 40 which pivotally carries in an eccentric position an interlock member 41 formed at the lower end thereof with an engaging portion 42 which is adapted to engage a member 43 attached to the underside of the rear end of the support member 28. Pivotally connected to the casing l is a pivotal member 47 formed with a projection 46 which is adapted to come into engagement with a projection formed on one side of the rear end of the guide member 26 when the projection 45 moves up and down. The pivotal member 47 is urged by the biasing force of a spring 48 so that the projection 46 thereof may come into engagement with the projection 45 of the guide member 36. The projection 46 of the pivotal member 47 is formed with a horizontal lower edge 46a and an inclined upper edge 46b, so that the projection 45 engages the horizontal edge 46a of the projection 46 when the support member 28 moves in pivotal motion in a clockwise direction in FIG. 1 about the shaft 29. As a result, the guide member 26 moves in pivotal motion in a clockwise direction in FIG. 2 about the shaft 27. Thus, when the support member 28 rotates in an anticlockwise direction in FIG. 1 about the shaft 29 into its original position, the inclined edge 46b of the projection 46 is brought into engagement with the projection 45, so that the guide member 26 moves in pivotal motion in an anticlockwise direction in FIG. 2 about the shaft 27.

The blade 23 for sharpening pencils which is of the same construction as known blades for sharpening pencils is rotatably mounted on the hollow rotary shaft 6. A pencil is fed to the blade 23 through the bore of the hollow rotary shaft 6 disposed against the holding member 24.

Interposed between the guide member 26 and the guide wall 35 is a shield 49 which is pivotally supported by a shaft 50 secured to the rear end of the casing l.

The shield 49 is formed at the rear end thereof with an engaging member 51 projecting downwardly and adapted to engage a projection 52 formed in the support member 28. The member 43 extends from the projection 52. A cutout 53 is formed on the front side of the inclined guide wall 35 in a position neighboring the shield 49. A cover 54 adapted to fit in the cutout 53 projects from the shield 49. The forward end of a guide 55 is disposed in the cutout 53 so as to discharge a short pencil through the cutout 53.

A switch 56 is connected to a knob 57 disposed on the upper surface of the casing 1. The knob 57 is supported by a rotary shaft 58 which carries a lever 59. The feed member 20 carries a pusher 60 which is adapted to engage and push the lever 59.

A feed limiting member 61 supported by a shaft 62 is disposed in a position corresponding to the position of the inlet opening 36.

The operation of the pencil sharpener constructed as aforementioned according to the present invention will now be discussed. Assuming that the switch 56 is closed by operating the knob 57 while a pencil is disposed on the guide member 26, the motor 2 will be actuated and the rotary shaft 10 will be rotated through the gearing. The rotation of the shaft 10 causes the cam 11 to move in pivotal motion, with a result that the operation plate 15 is moved in pivotal motion in an anticlockwise direction in FIG. 1. This causes the connection member 17 pivotally connected to the operation member 15 to move the feed member 20 rearwardly (to the left in FIG. 1) along the rail 19 against the biasing force of the spring 22 (See FIG. 3). This brings the conical opener 25 into engagement with a concaved portion of the holding member 24 provided in the feed member 20, and the opener 25 forces the two members 24a and 24b of the holder 24 apart from each other against the biasing force of the resilient member. Further rotation of the rotary shaft 10 results in the feed member 20 being started to its original position by the engagement of the cam 11 with the operation plate 15 and the biasing force of the spring 22 urging the feed member 20. Upon the starting of the feed member 20 to its original position, the opener 25 is released from engagement with the concave portion in the holder 24, so that the two members 24a and 24b of the holder 24 are forced by the biasing force of the resilient member to move toward each other so as to hold the pencil therebetween. Upon release of the cam 11 from engagement with the operation plate 15, the feed member 20 is caused by the biasing force of the spring 22 to return abruptly to its original position so as to feed the pencil held by the holder 24 to the blade 23 being rotated through the gear 5. Thus, the pencil is sharpened by the blade 23. Further rotation of the rotary shaft 10 causes the feed member 20 to move rearwardly through the operation plate 15 actuated by the cam 12 and the connection member 17. When the conical opener 25 is inserted in the concaved portion of the holder 24 formed in the feed member 20, the two members 24a and 24b of the holder 24 are moved apart about the shaft 16. This causes the support member 28, through the connecting rod 34, to move in pivotal motion in a clockwise direction in FIG. 1 against the bias ing force of the spring 31, so that the guide member 26 tilts such that the portion of the guide member 26 disposed nearer to the blade 23 (to the right in FIG. 1)

is disposed in a lower level than the rest of the guide member 26.

As the guide member 26 tilts, the projection 45 is brought into engagement with the horizontal edge 46a of the projection 46, so that the guide member 26 moves in pivotal motion in a clockwise direction in FIG. 2 about the shaft 27. This causes the sharpened pencil on the guide member 26 to drop downwardly from the guide member 26 into a receiving tray 63 provided on one side of the casing 1. Tilting of the guide member 26 releases the member 43 from engagement with the interlock member 41, so that the actuation member 37 is moved by its own weight in pivotal motion in a clockwise direction in FIG. 2 and a pencil on the inclined plate 44 drops downwardly through the inlet opening 36 into the arcuate groove 38 on the feed actuation member 37. As further rotation of the cam 12 releases the cam 12 from engagement with the lever 33, the support member 28 is moved by the biasing force of the spring 31 in an anticlockwise direction in FIG. 1, so that the interlock member 41 is moved downwardly by the engaging member 43 of the support member 28. As a result, the actuation member 37 moves in pivotal motion in an anticlockwise direction in FIG. 2, causing the pencil in the arcuate groove 38 of the actuation member 37 to drop onto the inclined guide wall 35. The pencil slides downwardly and forwardly (to the right in FIG. 1) along the inclined guide wall 35. Further rotation of the cam 12 causes the support member 28 to move in a clockwise direction in FIG. 1 again, so that the projection 45 of the guide member 26 is brought into engagement with the inclined edge 46b of the projection 46. Since at this time the guide member 26 has moved in pivotal motion in an anticlockwise direction in FIG. 2 about the shaft 27 and the shield 49 has moved in a clockwise direction in FIG. 1 about the shaft 50 against the biasing force of a spring 64 because the projection of the support member 28 pushes the engaging member 51 of the shield 49, the pencil on the guide wall 35 moves to the guide member 26. At this time, if the pencil has a length which is smaller than a predetermined length, the pencil is then discarded and drops through the eutout 53 from which the cover 54 has been removed, so that the discarded pencil is discharged along the guide 55 to the side of the casing 1 opposite to the side on which the receiving tray 63 is mounted. Accordingly, the pencil of which length is greater than the predetermined length, is only moved to the guide member 26.

Further rotation of the cam 12 brings the guide member 26 to a horizontal position by the biasing force of the spring 31. The shield 49 is restored to its original position by the biasing force of the spring 64, so that the opening 53 is closed by the cover 54. Thus, the cycle of the aforementioned pencil sharpening operation is repeated. In the absence of a pencil on the guide member 26, the feed member moves a greater distance forwardly (to the right in FIG. 1) than when a pencil is held by the holder 24 as the cam 11 is released from engagement with the operation plate 15, with a result that the feed member pushes and moves the lever 59 by the pusher 611. This opens the switch 56 so that the motor 2 is shut-off.

While the invention has been shown and described as being automatically operated by an electric motor, it is to be understood that the pencil sharpener according to this invention can be operated manually by turning a handle.

What is claimed is:

1. A pencil sharpener comprising a hollow rotary shaft (6) rotatably mounted to a casing 1 and rotated by an electric motor (2) through gear trains, a blade (23) provided on the peripheral surface of said hollow rotary shaft (6) and rotated with the rotary shaft (6), earns (11) and (12) secured to a rotary shaft 10 which is rotated by the electric motor (2) through gear trains, an operation plate (15) engaging with said cam (11) and supported for rotation at its one end by a shaft (16), a connection member (17) pivotally connected at one end thereof to the other end of the operation plate (15), a feed member (20) pivotally connected to the other end of said connection member (17) and adapted to slide along a guide rail (19) provided on the casing (1), a coil spring (22) mounted between the feed member (20) and the rail (19) for urging by its biasing force the feed member (20) to move toward the blade (23), a pencil holder (24) comprising holding members (24a) and (24b) which are connected at their upper ends to each other by a shaft for opening and closing motion and provided in the front of the feed member (20), a resilient member connected at opposite ends thereof to opposite sides of the holding members (24a) and (24b) so as to urge the two members (24a) and (24b) to move in a direction in which they hold a pencil therebetween, a concaved portion formed between the adjacent surfaces of the holding members (24a) and (24b), a sharp edged conical opener (25) mounted on the forward end of the rail (19) and facing the direction in which the feed member (20) moves for separating the two members (24a) and (24b) from each other when the opener (25) is inserted into the concaved portion, a lever (33) pivotally supported rotatable freely by the shaft (16) and engaged with said cam (12), a pivotal support member (28) supported by the casing (1) through a shaft (29) for pivotal movements about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis thereof and pivotally connected with said lever (33) through a connecting rod (34), supply means for successively supplying one pencil at a time to a guide member (26) in association with the motion of said pivotal support member (28).

2. A pencil sharpener comprising a hollow rotary shaft (6) rotatably mounted to a casing (1) and rotated by an electric motor (2) through gear trains, a blade (23) provided on the peripheral surface of said hollow rotary shaft (6) and rotated with the rotary shaft (6), earns (11) and (12) secured to a rotary shaft (10) which is rotated by the electric motor (2) through gear trains, an operation plate (15) engaging with said cam (1 1) and supported for rotation at its one end by a shaft (16), a connection member (17) pivotally connected at one end thereof to the other end of the operation plate (15), a feed member (21)) pivotally connected to the other end of said connection member (17) and adapted to slide along a guide rail (19,) provided on the casing (l), a coil spring (22) mounted between the feed member (20) and the rail (19) for urging by its biasing force the feed member (20) to move toward the blade (23), a pencil holder (24) comprising holding members (240) and (24b) which are connected at their upper ends to each other by a shaft for opening and closing motion and provided in the front of the feed member (20), a resilient member connected at opposite ends thereof to opposite sides of the holding members (24a) and (241;) so as to urge the two members (24a) and (24b) to move in a direction in which they hold a pencil therebetween, a concaved portion formed between the adjacent surfaces of the holding members (24a) and (24b), a sharp edged conical opener (25) mounted on the forward end of the rail (19) and facing the direction in which the feed member (20) moves for separating the two members (24a) and (24b) from each other when the opener (25) is inserted into the concaved portion, a lever (33) pivotally supported rotatable freely by the shaft (16) and engaged with said cam (12), a pivotal support member (28) supported by the casing (1) through a shaft (29) for pivotal movements about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis thereof and pivotally connected with said lever (33) through a connecting rod (34), a shield (49) adapted to operate in association with the tilting of a guide member (26) about the shaft (29) normal to the longitudinal axis thereof so as to open and close a cutout (53) formed on one side of said guide member (26), said shield (49) being adapted to open said cutout (53) when said guide member (26) tilts about an axisnormal to the longitudinal axis thereof, so that a pencil having a length smaller than that of a cutout portion (260) which has no holding projections (32) can be discharged from the guide member (26) through said cutout portion (26a) and supply means for successively supplying one pencil at a time to a guide member (26) in association with the motion of said pivotal support member (28).

3. A pencil sharpener as claimed in claim 1 which is characterized by further comprising a switch (56) adapted to be actuated by a pusher (60) provided on said feed member (20) for opening a motor circuit of motor (2) such that the motor is shut-off automatically when no pencil is held by said feed member (20). 

1. A pencil sharpener comprising a hollow rotary shaft (6) rotatably mounted to a casing 1 and rotated by an electric motor (2) through gear trains, a blade (23) provided on the peripheral surface of said hollow rotary shaft (6) and rotated with the rotary shaft (6), cams (11) and (12) secured to a rotary shaft 10 which is rotated by the electric motor (2) through gear trains, an operation plate (15) engaging with said cam (11) and supported for rotation at its one end by a shaft (16), a connection member (17) pivotally connected at one end thereof to the other end of the operation plate (15), a feed member (20) pivotally connected to the other end of said connection member (17) and adapted to slide along a guide rail (19) provided on the casing (1), a coil spring (22) mounted between the feed member (20) and the rail (19) for urging by its biasing force the feed member (20) to move toward the blade (23), a pencil holder (24) comprising holding members (24a) and (24b) which are connected at their upper ends to each other by a shaft for opening and closing motion and provided in the front of the feed member (20), a resilient member connected at opposite ends thereof to opposite sides of the holding members (24a) and (24b) so as to urge the two members (24a) and (24b) to move in a direction in which they hold a pencil therebetween, a concaved portion formed between the adjacent surfaces of the holding members (24a) and (24b), a sharp edged conical opener (25) mounted on the forward end of the rail (19) and facing the direction in which the feed member (20) moves for separating the two members (24a) and (24b) from each other when the opener (25) is inserted into the concaved portion, a lever (33) pivotally supported rotatable freely by the shaft (16) and engaged with said cam (12), a pivotal support member (28) supported by the casing (1) through a shaft (29) for pivotal movements about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis thereof and pivotally connected with said lever (33) through a connecting rod (34), supply means for successively supplying one pencil at a time to a guide member (26) in association with the motion of said pivotal support member (28).
 2. A pencil sharpener comprising a hollow rotary shaft (6) rotatably mounted to a casing (1) and rotated by an electric motor (2) through gear trains, a blade (23) provided on the peripheral surface of said hollow rotary shaft (6) and rotated with the rotary shaft (6), cams (11) and (12) secured to a rotary shaft (10) which is rotated by the electric motor (2) through gear trains, an operation plate (15) engaging with said cam (11) and supported for rotation at its one end by a shaft (16), a connection member (17) pivotally connected at one end thereof to the other end of the operation plate (15), a feed member (20) pivotally connected to the other end of said connection member (17) and adapted to slide along a guide rail (19) provided on the casing (1), a coil spring (22) mounted between the feed member (20) and the rail (19) for urging by its biasing force the feed member (20) to move toward the blade (23), a pencil holder (24) comprising holding members (24a) and (24b) which are connected at their upper ends to each other by a shaft for opening and closing motion and provided in the front of the feed member (20), a resilient member connected at opposite ends thereof to opposite sides of the holding members (24a) and (24b) so as to urge the two members (24a) and (24b) to move in a direction in which they hold a pencil therebetween, a concaved portion formed between the adjacent surfaces of the holding members (24a) and (24b), a sharp edged conical opener (25) mounted on the forward end of the rail (19) and facing the direction in which the feed member (20) moves for separating the two members (24a) and (24b) from each other when the opener (25) is inserted into the concaved portion, a lever (33) pivotally supported rotatable freely by the shaft (16) and engaged with said cam (12), a pivotal support member (28) supported by the casing (1) through a shaft (29) for pivotal movements about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis thereof and pivotally connected with said lever (33) through a connecting rod (34), a shield (49) adapted to operate in association with the tilting of a guide member (26) about the shaft (29) normal to the longitudinal axis thereof so as to open and close a cutout (53) formed on one side of said guide member (26), said shield (49) being adapted to open said cutout (53) when said guide member (26) tilts about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis thereof, so that a pencil having a length smaller than that of a cutout portion (26a) which has no holding projections (32) can be discharged from the guide member (26) through said cutout portion (26a) and supply means for successively supplying one pencil at a time to a guide member (26) in association with the motion of said pivotal support member (28).
 3. A pencil sharpener as claimed in claim 1 which is characterized by further comprising a switch (56) adapted to be actuated by a pusher (60) provided on said feed member (20) for opening a motor circuit of motor (2) such that the motor is shut-Off automatically when no pencil is held by said feed member (20). 